Top Ten Things to Do With Your Leftover Wine

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I’ll admit it – we don’t always finish the entire bottle of wine. Sad, I know. Then, we’ll get into something else like beer or booze, and suddenly about one glass of wine has been sitting in the bottle for at least a week. We try another wine, and another glass sits in that bottle. The problems of a first world citizen…  Well, here at ES, we look to solve those first world problems, which is why we bring you the top things to do with your old wine.

1. Make Vinegar

Your mother makes good vinegar. But really…you can make your own vinegar with just some old wine, “mother,” cheese cloth, and a glass vessel of the appropriate size. If you have a party where there is left over wine, or tasted a few wines, you can even mix them together to fill a bottle and then use that to create your own homemade vinegar. Or, you can buy a bottle of wine to make vinegar (I vote for the other option). Once you get your mother, add the wine, let it sit, add more wine, let it sit, add more wine, let it sit, wait a month.

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2. Port Wine and Fig Poptails

While this is not necessarily the “spoiled wine” route, let’s be real – nobody ever finishes a bottle of port. Wine and figs all in one! I’m typically not a fan of port, but I think I could get behind this – no matter what season!

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3. Roasted Pork Loin Over Pumpkin Risotto

I know we’ve seen this one before, but it’s important to point out that even white wine can be used in cooking!

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4. New York Sour

It won’t be as easy for your friends to call you an old person with this drink. Instead, they’ll be like, “oh shit, your so cool!” …Maybe not, but it’s good.

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Pork Tenderloin over Risotto

Roasted Pork Loin over Pumpkin Risotto

Pork Tenderloin over Risotto
Tis the season to impress your friends with your culinary prowess at a holiday dinner party. Enter… Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork! I kid you not, I made the BEST meal the other night and all my guests raved about it, but it was secretly was easier than it looked, thanks to this pork tenderloin.

I’d been craving risotto (which is truly way easier to make from scratch than it sounds, don’t be scared!) but I wanted some protein to round out the meal. This bacon-encrusted pork tenderloin was the perfect companion to the slightly sweet, rich risotto – and because it was preseasoned all I had to do was put the tenderloin in the oven, then take it out and slice it when it was done, throw it on top of the homemade risotto, and enjoy my masterpiece. Talk about elevated comfort food at its finest!

The other star of the show? That gorgeous purple cauliflower, which added such a beautiful pop of color alongside the pink pork, green beans, and orange risotto. But if you can’t find rainbow cauliflower at your local grocery store, of course regular ol’ white cauliflower will taste just as good.

Roasted Pork Loin over Pumpkin Risotto

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Mushroom and Blue Cheese Farrotto

I feel like, by this point in my ES career, there are certain things that we just can’t avoid. For example: I love healthy grains and making plays on risotto with them, I love mushrooms, and I love blue cheese. So it really shouldn’t surprise anyone when I introduce my next recipe creation: blue cheese and mushroom risotto made with farro instead of arborio rice.

Here’s why I like farro: It’s toasty and nutty with a toothsome bite, standing up to heavy sauces much better than plain ol’ rice. Not only that, but it’s freaking healthy! High in fiber, low in gluten, and packing 7g of protein per 1/4c serving, farro is a grain to be reckoned with. I mixed this with the usual risotto suspects (white wine, cheese, more cheese) with spectacular results. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that this is a super healthy meal (because of the aforementioned cheese and more cheese), but it’s a step up from classic risotto thanks to all the benefits of farro plus a load of vitamins and minerals from the mushrooms and iron from the spinach. All in all… you could do a lot worse. Plus this combination is just plain delicious.

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Mushroom and Blue Cheese Farrotto

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A Slice of Arancini

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Originating in Sicily and often coined “rice balls” in Italian-American eateries, arancini are the ultimate crispy, melty snack. The tennis ball-sized spheres of risotto are filled with ground meat and cheese, coated in breadcrumbs, deep-fried and served atop a pool of marinara sauce. The name is derived from the shape and color which is reminiscent of an orange, “arancia” in Italian.

While arancini are incredibly enjoyable as snacks, we decided to revamp the traditional, crunchy cheesy orbs and transform them into a savory tart.

Our Arancini Tart is an elegant auburn display that when sliced, reveals a decadent ragu–an impressive entree at any dinner party.

Arancini Tart

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A Healthier Risotto: Quinoa Faux-otto

Let’s face it. No matter how much I love to cook, some nights I’m just not feeling it. I’m tired, it’s getting late, I spent too much time watching reruns of Friends after work (whatever, not ashamed), I don’t want to go all the way to the grocery store in the dark, etc. You know the drill. On one such night, I was determined to make a delicious, inventive, and at least somewhat healthy dinner exclusively with things I already had in my fridge and pantry. Thus my quinoa faux-otto (faux risotto) was born.

This stuff is awesome because it’s rich, cheesy, and savory, just like regular risotto, but crammed with way more nutritional benefits than the traditional stuff. (Thanks, quinoa, I love you!) It also takes about half the time; no stirring required. Not that stirring is some great physical struggle—people complaining about stirring risotto is actually one of my culinary pet peeves—but this is great when you’re in a hurry or just feeling supremely lazy. My recipe reflects the produce and cheese I had on hand, but don’t be afraid to experiment with your leftovers. For example, I bet this would be delicious with some swiss, butternut squash, and bacon. Hmmm…

Quinoa Faux-otto with Brussels Sprouts, Spinach, & Parmesan

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